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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26516995">I heard somebody whisper</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyLadyDay/pseuds/MyLadyDay'>MyLadyDay</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Blue moon [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Piece</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood, Injury, M/M, Werewolf Marco, getting together (hinted), witch ace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:53:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,196</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26516995</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyLadyDay/pseuds/MyLadyDay</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He broke through the treeline with his fangs bared and ready to fight, with a light step, preparing to pounce at the first sign of trouble. Ignoring the overwhelming scent of Ace’s blood, Marco looked around the clearing and found no threat, but that hardly made the scene before him any better.</p>
<p>“Hey there, Mr. Wolf,” Ace said without looking up from the shrine. His voice betrayed more than his words could, so weak yet ringing out in the forest with the power of his magic.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Portgas D. Ace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Blue moon [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1507283</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>117</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I heard somebody whisper</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As always, it started days before the full moon. The itch under his skin was making itself known, as if he hadn’t shifted in far too long and the wolf was dying to get out. Completely untrue, of course, but the wolf was restless nonetheless and Marco could do nothing about that.</p>
<p>Really, he stopped trying to do something about that long ago and just embraced the barely contained chaos.</p>
<p>With a fresh mug of coffee and a healthy appreciation for the crisp autumn air, he waited on the porch for the walk of shame to begin. The weirdos and reckless thrillseekers began filtering out of the forest with their heads bowed and a sour note of shame mixed with fear in the air. At least they’d made it easy for Marco to know they were all making it out alive.</p>
<p>Marco knew well enough that they were safe from the forest for the time being, but they were rarely safe from the danger of their own idiocy. He watched them awkwardly shuffle away, careful not to emerge from the forest too close to each other, and it was honestly a good source of amusement when they all made it out alive and well. </p>
<p>Finally, Robin appeared behind them all, signaling the end of the parade. As always, she walked with undeniable confidence and one of her mysterious smiles, sparing a small wave in his direction as she passed. The motion made the small basket of herbs hanging off her arm dangle in the breeze, sending a very pointed hint of wolfsbane Marco’s way. He’d always suspected this was a thinly veiled threat, but with Robin, one could never know for sure.</p>
<p>Marco, like any rational man, made sure to always be on his best behavior around her and waved back before watching her stroll back into town. His eyes remained glued to the back of her coat until she was out of view and safely on the road ahead. She was probably the last person that needed his protection, but he had a duty either way.</p>
<p>Robin’s departure was his cue to set his mug down on the railing for a moment and turn back into the house. The second mug was waiting by the coffee maker and Marco took a second to grab one of the muffins off the tray before pouring the coffee. He was back out on the porch in no time at all, setting the fresh cup of coffee next to his own just in time to breathe in the familiar scent of thyme and blood, wrapping around the comfort that was Ace’s scent. Marco still hadn’t fully figured out everything that made up this particular scent, but he was dedicated to recognize and memorize every nuance of it.</p>
<p>Ace broke through the treeline only moments after, eyes already trained on Marco. Marco never understood how he could smile so brightly that early in the morning after a night of putting up wards in the forest, but Ace smiled every time nonetheless. And Marco had a cup of coffee and something to eat waiting for him, by some unspoken agreement, on all the days leading up to the full moon.</p>
<p>“I could get used to this,” Ace said as soon as he was climbing up the steps.</p>
<p>Marco could see the palms of his hands were rosy with blood as he reached for his coffee, but the scent didn’t bother him anymore. He’d managed to get used to it, when combined with the herbs and magic and whatever it was that made Ace smell so good. Much easier to think of it as a scent of protection and magic, than to worry about the blood aspect of it.</p>
<p>“You already did get used to this,” Marco said, handing over the muffin as well, smiling a little at the way Ace's eyes twinkled at the sight of food. </p>
<p>It was nowhere near enough to actually feed Ace, but it was enough to tide him over until breakfast, which was pretty much all Marco could hope for.</p>
<p>“You don’t even try to pretend you’re going home anymore, just show up here for food,” he added, but there was no heat behind his words. </p>
<p>After all, Marco didn’t mind this routine in the slightest. Ace being there one morning after his night in the forest felt normal when it happened that first time a couple of months ago during the first cycle after they’d met. Between one breath and the next, his house turned from an oasis accessible only to him, to a space where Ace seemed like a permanent fixture. </p>
<p>In a way, every moment was like that very first morning in the kitchen and then the days that followed, when the familiarity was cut through by the scent of herbs, blood and Ace, taking Marco by surprise whenever he’d breath in deep. Only, Ace’s presence didn’t fade this time, lingering even stronger until it seeped into the furniture and mixed in with Marco’s own scent. </p>
<p>He tried not to think too much about that part.</p>
<p>Not for the first time, Marco considered just how much time Ace had been spending in his house since they’d met, and how shockingly little that bothered him overall.</p>
<p>“If you didn’t have breakfast waiting every time, I would just go home,” Ace said around half a muffin, looking all kinds of disgusting and endearing. “And speaking of breakfast, what are we having today?”</p>
<p>Marco sipped at his coffee, faux glaring at Ace over the rim of his mug. The muffin was already gone, not a blueberry in sight.</p>
<p>“No breakfast today,” Marco said with a smile, obviously believable enough as Ace narrowed his eyes at him.</p>
<p>“Mhm,” he hummed, suspicion written all over his pretty face, broken only by a yawn so intense, Ace’s eyes watered from the force of it.</p>
<p>It was absolutely the only reason Marco took pity on him.</p>
<p>“Fine, there’s a spinach and cottage cheese frittata in the oven,” Marco said, immediately rolling his eyes at the smug smile plastered on Ace’s face. The smugness wasn’t even a little undercut by the way his eyes were watering from yawning again.</p>
<p>“Bacon?” Ace asked, because he obviously knew Marco all too well already.</p>
<p>“Of course there’s bacon too,” he replied with another roll of his eyes, and a smile that followed soon after as Ace yawned yet again, this time mid-fist pump. </p>
<p>Ace was making his way into the house without another word, leading the way into the kitchen like he owned the place. Marco didn’t mind that as much as he’d expected either.</p>
<p>“What’s that about?” Ace asked, pointing at the kitchen island with one place setting laid out. “Are you making me eat directly from the pan, because if you think that’ll make me stop coming around, you’re sorely mistaken.”</p>
<p>Marco laughed, almost choking on the last of his coffee because Ace was so insufferably endearing even while borderline disgusting.</p>
<p>“I already had breakfast,” Marco said. </p>
<p>He was putting the empty mug down into the dishwasher, almost missing the way the smile slipped off Ace’s face, replaced by a confused frown Marco hadn’t seen very often. </p>
<p>"As much as it may not seem that way, I do come here to have breakfast with you," Ace said with a healthy amount of indignation, "not just to have breakfast."</p>
<p>Marco looked at him and smiled, mostly at himself for still being bad at communication at times.</p>
<p>"I know," he said, still smiling in a way he felt was uncharacteristic for him. "I meant, I already had breakfast because I need to run. Emergency at work."</p>
<p>The realization dawning for Ace was fairly obvious, and more than a little endearing. He almost looked a little embarrassed for reacting the way he did, but the look was gone almost as quickly as it appeared. </p>
<p>“And you’re confident in leaving me here all alone?” Ace asked, back to grabbing his food. </p>
<p>“I don’t think there’s any permanent damage you can do in a couple of hours,” Marco said and turned to grab his jacket just so Ace wouldn’t see him still smiling, “especially if you’re asleep for most of those.”</p>
<p>“I’ll have you know,” Ace started, pausing to chew on his toast a little bit more after a bit of it flew out of his mouth, “I’m at my most dangerous while sleeping.”</p>
<p>“One day, you’ll have to tell me more about that.”</p>
<p>With a laugh and a glance back at Ace, feeling shockingly at ease about letting someone stay in his home unsupervised, Marco made his way through the door and off to the station. The usual pre-full moon itch was just starting to build, but somehow it felt worse knowing he was leaving Ace behind and disrupting their routine.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The house was the same as when he'd left it in the morning, with the exception of Ace's presence being woefully non-existent at the moment, but Marco still had the feeling that something was off. The porch light was on when he arrived, but the rest of the house was cast in darkness, showing that Ace had already left to set up the wards for the night. </p>
<p>Absolutely nothing looked amiss, at least not that he could see, and yet Marco couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong and that he needed to do something. He had a very specific itch to scratch but had no earthly idea what it actually meant and it made him feel lost a little. </p>
<p>It wasn’t a feeling he liked much.</p>
<p>Ace's scent was still in that stage of overwhelmingly fresh in the living room, and Marco could tell he'd crashed there after breakfast, probably until the evening when he had to leave again. If the routine was any indication, Marco was missing a shirt that would be smelling like it belonged to someone else come morning, but at that point in time, it should have still carried his scent as well. </p>
<p>That elicited a burst of warmth in his chest, and that was a feeling he did like, but it was something he tried not thinking too much about at the moment. Still, the wolf was very pleased with that prospect, as usual, but it wasn't enough to shake the feeling of wrongness this time. </p>
<p>Marco set his jacket down on the back of the couch, looking around the living room trying to spot what was bothering him, but knowing full well that he wouldn't find the reason there. Everything smelled normal, felt normal, but there was a part of him that seemed to know something.</p>
<p>It had to have been the wolf, the fickle bastard that was cause for most of the paranoia Marco had.  </p>
<p>But his wolf senses were rarely wrong and it was the only reason this feeling of unease worried him, despite the house appearing normal. Briefly, he considered it may have to do with how close the full moon was, but dismissed it just as quickly; he was around every full moon and never experienced this feeling unless something was truly amiss. </p>
<p>This only left a single option he could think of and he couldn’t say he liked the prospect of something going on in the forest. Nonetheless, Marco took his belt and shoes off, unbuttoned his uniform shirt, and shifted as quickly as possible. </p>
<p>It felt like coming home, shifting this close to a full moon, and he could have howled as soon as he was on all fours, just from the relief of it. Ace’s scent was stronger like this, more prominent in the small space of his home and, in any other situation, Marco would have loved to curl up and savor it. As it was, he took off through the back door and straight into the forest without a moment’s thought, following his instinct. </p>
<p>Autumn leaves crunched underfoot just barely in the quiet of the night, but loud enough to alert anyone in the area of his presence. Anything more dangerous than the common wolf knew when Marco set foot into the forest, and they all knew better than to cross his path, so he wasn’t too worried overall. </p>
<p>About that, at least, because he knew everything lurking in the forest had a healthy fear of him for a good reason. But that only meant there could have been something new that was causing this <em> wrong wrong wrong </em> feeling in his chest.</p>
<p>The perpetual fog of the forest was parting before him, opening a path where he could follow a string of magic, embers flickering between the trees before disappearing into the night. He’d seen them only once before, and yet he’d recognize them anywhere. </p>
<p>He’d follow them anywhere too, the wolf in him supplied, ever so helpful. </p>
<p>The forest remained silent as the grave, a worrying prospect if Marco let himself focus on that instead of the hunt. And he didn’t let himself, because he was too good at his duty to the forest to be distracted by stray thoughts and worries. He knew this forest as well as he knew himself, every nook and cranny as much a part of him as the wolf was. </p>
<p>This connection was only reinforced with Ace’s wards and his magic, and this magic was leading the way for him, wrapping around the wolf’s instincts. </p>
<p>There was no doubt the <em> wrong wrong wrong </em> feeling was coming from wherever Ace was, not anymore with his magic beckoning Marco so clearly. The ground shook with each swift step, his entire being almost weightless as he ran through the trees without giving any of them a second thought. </p>
<p>Flickers of life flashed around him as he passed, but none stood out as dangerous so he continued moving. </p>
<p>Every step he took eased the feeling in his chest until the scent of Ace’s blood overwhelmed the scent of his magic. It hung in the air like a heavy cloud, coloring the mist a dark red all around the shrine. </p>
<p>Almost like that first time, Marco slowed down just before the clearing, careful but oh so curious. </p>
<p>He broke through the treeline with his fangs bared and ready to fight, with a light step, preparing to pounce at the first sign of trouble. Ignoring the overwhelming scent of Ace’s blood, Marco looked around the clearing and found no threat, but that hardly made the scene before him any better.</p>
<p>“Hey there, Mr. Wolf,” Ace said without looking up from the shrine. His voice betrayed more than his words could, so weak yet ringing out in the forest with the power of his magic.</p>
<p>Marco could tell he stood there with a lot of effort, propping himself up with his arms that trembled under his own weight. Blood dripped from his nose with a slow and steady <em> pat pat pat </em>as it hit the stone beneath him. </p>
<p>Far too much blood as far as Marco was concerned and he moved closer, but didn’t shift, knew better than that when in the heart of the forest this close to a full moon. </p>
<p>Marco was stood next to the shrine between one drop of blood and the next, leaning his weight against Ace’s side and allowing him to finally release the tension that was holding him upright. Unable to speak, Marco remained there in silence, taking more of Ace’s weight.</p>
<p>This close, he could hear the ragged breathing, feel how Ace shook with each breath. He had too many questions and no way to ask any of them, so he waited, feeling Ace’s fingers tangling in his fur as he held on for what felt like dear life.</p>
<p>“Something was wrong,” Ace said, the grip of his hand the only thing revealing how affected he was. “There was something in the forest that shouldn’t have been here.”</p>
<p>That was even more cause for concern, knowing Marco was away from his post when something entered his forest, while Ace was in there no less.</p>
<p>“Should have checked before doing the spell,” he added with a shuddering breath. “Fucking stupid.”</p>
<p>Marco knew very little about the wards from a technical point of view, given that they were very much not like the magic that held him and the wolf together. But he knew enough, and he knew Rouge built them to coexist with everything that belonged in the forest. He couldn’t imagine what it was that didn’t belong.</p>
<p>He whined a little, protesting a little at the way Ace blamed himself in the only way he could without shifting back. </p>
<p>“Need to get out of here,” Ace said as he strained to right himself again, taking a step on unsteady legs.</p>
<p>Marco pushed closer, determined to help Ace walk through the forest and back home where they could deal with this. Where Marco could actually talk and help out. Where he could take the time to consider he’d thought of his house as Ace’s home as well.</p>
<hr/>
<p>For the fourth time since Ace passed out, Marco considered wiping the blood off his face before giving up on the idea for fear he’d wake Ace up. He had a clean washcloth by his side and a little basin full of warm water, but he didn’t dare actually reach out and do something about it. Even if the scent of all that blood was seeping into the space around him, bringing the wrongness with it.</p>
<p>Ace’s breathing had finally evened out, no longer ragged and sounding like the blood dripping from his nose would never stop. His shirt was stained with it, and Marco had already decided he’d be getting rid of it, knowing he’d never be able to look at it the same. </p>
<p>He couldn’t tell how long it had been since he shifted back and put some pants on, Ace passing out in that brief moment Marco was away, and he’d simply stayed there by the bed, waiting. Waiting for what, he couldn’t really tell, but he waited nonetheless, his nose full of the smell of blood and panic, of magic gone wrong. </p>
<p>Something that wouldn’t be going away for a while, he knew.</p>
<p>Ace shifted on the bed, a mere shiver of a moment, but Marco moved closer all the same, ready for whatever may be coming his way. He’d never felt this out of place in his own bedroom before, but he stayed and watched Ace open his eyes just enough for the glow of magic to come through.</p>
<p>“We’ll talk in the morning,” Ace said, voice low and fragile in the dark. “Stay with me.”</p>
<p>His fingers wrapped around Marco’s wrist, the grasp featherlight and easy to brush off, but Marco didn’t. He let the touch guide him next to Ace, on top of the covers that were stained with blood and soil and magic. Underneath it all, Ace’s scent lay, drawing Marco in, guiding him closer until his nose was buried in the strands of Ace’s hair and he could breathe for the first time that night.</p>
<p>“Stay,” Ace hummed and drifted back to sleep, and Marco followed without a moment’s hesitation. </p>
<p>He knew he’d follow anywhere.</p>
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